Sustainability, waste, the green agenda are all great words, good causes and tough targets that we hear about a lot and at times there is a risk that we take them for granted. But we cannot, because as the guardians and champions of the Welsh built environment the construction industry – and that’s clients, suppliers, site workers, designers and engineers and everyone else you can think of – all of us, have a duty of care to create the most sustainable Wales we can.

So, it is great to read between the lines of the Government’s first Welsh specific report into the progress being made to make Welsh building stock more sustainable that good work is being achieved. There is much more to do, but if this was a school report then it might say: “solid work, keep it up and we will pass our GCSE in sustainability.”

The job of CEW is to cajole, encourage and share best practice; in short to help Welsh construction stakeholders to achieve the Government targets. So, it was great to see at our event today held with South West Wales Best Practice Club promoting Enabling Zero Waste project so much interest.

Enabling Zero Waste is a CEW initiative designed to provide practical, positive and active intervention through the provision of professional waste management solutions targeted at construction and demolition projects in Wales. The initiative is exploring the feasibility and viability of a range of solutions aimed at achieving the Welsh Government’s Zero Waste to landfill target. Updates, lessons learnt and best practice will all be disseminated across industry as the project progresses and today delegates heard how John Weaver Contractors Ltd worked with CEW on the Enabling Zero Waste project to identify improvements in waste management during the restoration and refurbishment of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery. It is one example of how together we can keep up the good work and achieve an A star grade like so many students receiving their GCSEs today across Wales.